Bedford MP: 'Most GP practices work in old Victorian houses which are not fit for purpose'

He had hoped to make his feelings clear during a healthcare debate yesterday morning (Monday) but was only given a minute to talk.

So, on his Facebook page instead, Mr Yasin outlined what he would have said and has vowed to raise the issues as soon as he gets “the opportunity”.

In the post, he said: “Bedford residents have the fourth longest wait time in the UK for a GP appointment, according to a study by personal injury expert, Claims.co.uk in March.”

And he added data from the Census showed Bedford was the fastest growing local authority in the East of England region.

He said: “The health secretary has said the government will divert money from hospitals to family doctors to fix the ‘front door’ of the NHS. This is a vital move to focus on early intervention and prevention which will be more cost effective for the NHS and will deliver much better health outcomes for patients.

“But when the Health Secretary spoke about fixing the front door, I’m not sure he meant it literally. Yet, the primary care estate across Bedford borough is in a terrible state.

“A Kempton based GP I spoke to yesterday confirmed that the backlog in appointments was all linked to the poor level of appropriate properties across Bedford. Most practices work in multiple small sites – old Victorian houses and the like – which are not fit for purpose.

“Surgeries cannot recruit more doctors because there is not enough capacity within the existing infrastructure. Practices are unable to accommodate GP trainees and registrars due to lack of space.”

And Mr Yasin added the Kempston GP said unless the issues around estates are taken seriously, there is a genuine threat for general practice in Bedford.

He went on to say: “I urge the front bench minister to hear how serious the healthcare provision problems are in my constituency – particularly in primary and oral healthcare and find a way to resolve the problems which will also mean delivering on the manifesto I was proud to stand on as a Labour MP.”